The telomeres form caps at the ends of chromosomes. They contain a unique DNA sequence which is repeated several times. (Telomeres: from the Greek for ~end" telos and "'part" meros).
Telomeres
Telomere DNA is built base by base
The DNA sequence varies slightly between species. The one shown here is from Tetrahymena.
_ \ RNA template
Telomere DNA
Telomerase
Protein
RNA
Telomerase operates at the end of the chromosome. łt is an enzyme consisting of a protein and an RNA component. The RNA serves as a template for synthesizing telomere DNA.